Friday, 26 October 2012

Artist of the Week - Ed Burtynsky!

Hi all,

This week's Artist of the Week is Ed Burtynsky! According to his Wikipedia, "he is a Canadian photograpaher and artist who has achieved international recognition for his large-format photographs of industrial landscapes. He was born in St. Catherine's, Ontario. Burtynsky's most famous photographs are sweeping views of landscapes altered by industry: mine tailings, quarries, scrap piles. His early influences include Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, and others. When he was 11, his father purchased a darkroom including cameras and instruction manuals, from a widow whose late-husband practiced amateur photography. In April 2006 Burtynsky was named Officer of the Order of Canada

According to his personal website, he states that " nature transformed through industry is a predominant theme in my work. I set course to intersect with a contemporary view of the great ages of man; from stone, to minerals, oil, transportation, silicon, and so on. Recycling yards, mine tailings, quarries and refineries are all places that are outside of our normal experience, yet we partake of their output on a daily basis.These images are meant as metaphors to the dilemma of our modern existence; they search for a dialogue between attraction and repulsion, seduction and fear. We are drawn by desire - a chance at good living, yet we are consciously or unconsciously aware that the world is suffering for our success. Our dependence on nature to provide the materials for our consumption and our concern for the health of our planet sets us into an uneasy contradiction. For me, these images function as reflecting pools of our times."For more information on Ed Burtynsky, check out his personal website!http://www.edwardburtynsky.com/